Oli Le Lievre is the Founder of Humans of Agriculture, a modern media company that aims to strengthen the connection between the food and fibre system, as well as the broader community, by making agriculture more relatable.

In this episode, Oli shares his journey, from growing up in Sydney, to jackarooing, before completing his studies at Marcus Oldham College. He shares his interest in the future of rural and regional Australia, and how Humans of Agriculture is on a mission to share 10,000 stories of people that represent the diverse and vast opportunities in agriculture.

Connect:

• Rural Bank website
• Rural Bank on Facebook
• Rural Bank on Twitter
• Rural Bank on LinkedIn
• Rural Bank on YouTube

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Jack Cresswell is the creator and host of Farms Advice podcast, a show which aims to share farming best-practice, innovation in agriculture, and create transparency within the industry. With each episode, Jack asks “How can this conversation improve farm outlook?” by interviewing industry leaders and leading farmers.

Jack’s passion for agriculture is in his blood. He grew up on the multi-generational family property in Wilcannia. After completing his Bachelor of Agribusiness (majoring in Marketing), Jack headed overseas. But with the event of COVID, he was forced to adapt and began producing Farms Advice all the way from London.

In this episode, Jack shares his passion for farm optimisation, how he believes in aligning profitability with sustainability and how he’s playing his part in breaking down the barriers within agriculture that prevent the sharing of ideas.

Connect:

• Rural Bank website
• Rural Bank on Facebook
• Rural Bank on Twitter
• Rural Bank on LinkedIn
• Rural Bank on YouTube

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Growing up on a farm, Andi White has always had agriculture in her blood. And while Andi and her husband Hayden have been living and working on the same farm in NSW’s Tocumwal for the past 16 years, they’ve always dreamed of owning their own farm.

That opportunity came in 2020 when the property they’d been managing for the past 10 years went up for sale — and Andi and Hayden knew they had to hustle. While they had built up a solid deposit through share farming and purchasing weiner calves to later sell as steers, they were struggling to secure the funding they needed via traditional sources … which is where Cultivate Farms stepped in.

Connect:

• Rural Bank website
• Rural Bank on Facebook
• Rural Bank on Twitter
• Rural Bank on LinkedIn
• Rural Bank on YouTube

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Dr Kate Burke founded Think Agri after identifying a need for corporate and institutional investors to have access to astute experience-based advice when considering key agri-investment decisions.

In this episode, Kate shares how her family has been farming in Elmore, Victoria, since the 1860s, and how this background (combined with her 26 years of experience) ensures that she knows the critical questions to ask about any agricultural investment. Asking the right questions is a key part of Think Agri's offering, and enables them to offer the very best strategic advice and guidance to investors and family farmers alike.

Connect:

• Rural Bank website
• Rural Bank on Facebook
• Rural Bank on Twitter
• Rural Bank on LinkedIn
• Rural Bank on YouTube

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Original publish date: 27 Apr 2021.

Kelly Barnes is the Founder of Mates Dog School and the Co-president of the newly revived Dunkeld CWA — both in Dunkeld, Victoria. Kelly originally studied agriculture before a chronic pain condition forced her to give up farmwork.

In this episode, Kelly shares how her experience inspired her to come up with Mates Dog School — a place where farmers, together with their dogs, learn low-stress stock handling, enhance the dog-owner bond, and build resilience through social connection and peer support.

Connect:

• Rural Bank website
• Rural Bank on Facebook
• Rural Bank on Twitter
• Rural Bank on LinkedIn
• Rural Bank on YouTube

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Original publish date: 19 Jan 2021.

Sarah Nolet grew up in Silicon Valley, California, in the home of tech companies and the world of entrepreneurship.

Although her dad had a hobby farm, the agriculture industry was not something she ever imagined working in. But after living and working on farms in South Africa for a year, she fell into the agriculture rabbit hole.

Now in Australia, Sarah has combined her technology background with her love for ag by creating AgThentic, a food and agriculture strategy firm. In this episode, she discusses innovation in the Australian agriculture space, the importance of storytelling, and how AgThentic’s programme Farmers2Founders works with farmers and producers over twelve weeks to bring their innovative ideas to life.

Connect:

• Rural Bank website
• Rural Bank on Facebook
• Rural Bank on Twitter
• Rural Bank on LinkedIn
• Rural Bank on YouTube

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Original publish date: 13 Apr 2021.

Warren Davies, aka ‘The Unbreakable Farmer’, is a keynote speaker covering topics such as mental health and resilience. Warren worked on his family’s farm for six years upon leaving school, developing a love for the dairy industry.

In this episode, Warren shares his story as well as how he was forced to adapt and build resilience through a series of challenging events. He also talks about how he’s used this experience as a way to connect and help communities devastated by fire, flood and drought.

Connect:

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Original publish date: 22 Dec 2020.

Social media can sometimes be seen as the creator of social problems, especially when it comes to mental health. But farmer Ben Brooksby decided to use it in a positive … yet unconventional way. As a result of a cheeky photoshoot with a friend, he started The Naked Farmer — an Instagram page that has over 100,000 followers.

Ben believes using social media positively can change your mental health. And in this episode, he talks about the growing impact that The Naked Farmer movement is making. As he says, "It takes guts to take your gear off … as it takes guts to talk about mental health."

Connect:

• Rural Bank website
• Rural Bank on Facebook
• Rural Bank on Twitter
• Rural Bank on LinkedIn
• Rural Bank on YouTube

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Sam Johnston, like most rural kids, was shipped off to a Sydney boarding school which is where he first became aware of the disconnect between the product and consumer.

In this episode, Sam shares how these experiences inspired him and his mate to start #thankafarmerforyournextmeal, a social media campaign-turned-movement with the goal to showcase the Australian ag industry while educating folks on where their food comes from.

Resources and links:

• Thank A Farmer For Your Next Meal

Connect:

• Rural Bank website
• Rural Bank on Facebook
• Rural Bank on Twitter
• Rural Bank on LinkedIn
• Rural Bank on YouTube

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Shanna Whan is the CEO of Sober in the Country, a national advocacy program for social change in the bush.

In this episode, Shanna shares her (very) personal journey, from growing up in her local rural scene to her battle with alcohol — which led her to start 'Sober in the Country'. She’s determined to spread the message that ‘It’s ok to say no to a beer’ throughout Australia’s rural communities.

Shanna has worked as a rural journalist, a jillaroo, and a photographer, which gives her a unique perspective on Australian agricultural communities.

Mental health support:

If you need mental health support, please visit your local hospital emergency department or contact the following support services:

• Lifeline: 13 11 14
• ​Family Drug Support: 1300 368 186
• Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636
• MensLine: 1300 789 978
• Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800

Resources and links:

• Sober in the Country
• SITC Bush Tribe

Connect:

• Rural Bank website
• Rural Bank on Facebook
• Rural Bank on Twitter
• Rural Bank on LinkedIn
• Rural Bank on YouTube

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.